[vroom666]

DrBones - How much did the AC install cost you and which make/brand was it? I liked your back seat bed idea btw.

[drbones]

Originally Posted by vroom666

DrBones - How much did the AC install cost you and which make/brand was it? I liked your back seat bed idea btw.

vroom666 AC cost is around 33K including labour charges . Compressor is sanden 507 with super king blower . An extra electric fan is installed in front of the condenser with a thermostat to address the overheating issues faced on a gypsy . I also removed the thermostat valve from the engine so that there is unrestricted flow of engine coolant .

[amolbh]

Congrats drbones!

I have a slightly offtrack question:

Which cars got the Maruti "M" logo?

I have seen this on the old 800s and Omnis and Esteems till maybe around 2003/4. I guess Zen when lauched came with the Suzuki "S" logo in the front, but some export models had "M". Army Gypsys have "M" whereas police ones have "S". Till now, I have seen civilian Gypsys with "S". Yours is the first one with this logo.

Does anyone know which logos are put up for which vehicles?

MODS please move if necessary.. Thanks!

[narendra.vw]

Removing thermostat is a bad idea for new vehicle .You are not allowing it to warm up fast from cold start. Engine moving parts will be tight when it’s new. Please don’t use ac until it’s done Min 2000 km running in. Put back thermostat & check the engine temp with ac on then decide.

[ad3952n]

@DrBones, Congrats for becoming the proud owner of the undefeatable King of all SUVs till date. I totally find this Gypsy way way ahead in terms of reliability and maintainence as compared to the present generation of SUVs. Not having state-of-art transmissions and other modern off-road friendly gadgets still the Gypsy King is one of the best bet for real enthusiast. Gypsy still gives a adrenaline rush to many who vouch for it's till date dependability. Just a advice for future, In case you plan to modify it then just remove the hard top and keep it open with good set of alloys.

Thanks

AD

[drbones]

Congrats drbones!

I have a slightly offtrack question:

Which cars got the Maruti "M" logo?

I have seen this on the old 800s and Omnis and Esteems till maybe around 2003/4. I guess Zen when lauched came with the Suzuki "S" logo in the front, but some export models had "M". Army Gypsys have "M" whereas police ones have "S". Till now, I have seen civilian Gypsys with "S". Yours is the first one with this logo.

Does anyone know which logos are put up for which vehicles?

amolbh , if you are talking about the M logo on the front radiator grill then all Gypsies come with the same logo . Civilians change the logo to S in the place of M . During early 2000 - 2004 Maruti sold maximum shares to suzuki making suzuki the major share holder (more than 51%) after which the logo is changes to S . Still Gypsy comes with M logo on the front grill .

Removing thermostat is a bad idea for new vehicle .You are not allowing it to warm up fast from cold start. Engine moving parts will be tight when it’s new. Please don’t use ac until it’s done Min 2000 km running in. Put back thermostat & check the engine temp with ac on then decide.

narendra.vw I agree with you on the thermostat valve removal . My gypsy has done 28K + till date . its removed after its 1st oil change . There is no problem till date , but i am planning it to install it back soon.

@DrBones, Congrats for becoming the proud owner of the undefeatable King of all SUVs till date. I totally find this Gypsy way way ahead in terms of reliability and maintainence as compared to the present generation of SUVs. Not having state-of-art transmissions and other modern off-road friendly gadgets still the Gypsy King is one of the best bet for real enthusiast. Gypsy still gives a adrenaline rush to many who vouch for it's till date dependability. Just a advice for future, In case you plan to modify it then just remove the hard top and keep it open with good set of alloys.

ad3952n thanks , Nothing can match the driving thrill of a gypsy even today . Its like a wild horse which has to be tamed , after that the fun begins . I have no plans of removing the hard top as of now , as i am using my gypsy for long driving expeditions . May be will remove the top after 10 yrs from now . You can check the link below after which you can understand better for what my gypsy is used .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...-seat-bed.html

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by drbones

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...-seat-bed.html

Hi DrBones, Saw the thread and must say quite an innovative yet very practicle idea put to reality. Best thing is that no luggage space is compromised. It has been turned to a mini caravan. Good attempt indeed.

Thanks

AD

[Moody]

Hey Guys,

I have been a passive member of this amazing forum for a while and this is my first post.

Background: I am a big fan of the Maruti Gypsy and some recent developments have made me look at it once again as a feasible option. I am not an avid off road enthusiast. Actually I am opposed to off roading just for the reason of off roading. For me going off road only makes sense if no road exists to the place you want to reach. I have nothing against friends who love off-roading as a sport, I am just trying to set up the premise for my problem.

So my ride will not be doing any hardcore off-roading challenges. With that said I do like to travel to remote (sometimes inaccessible) areas like himalayan foothills and would like to do a road trip to Leh/Laddakh sometime. It will be my primary vehicle for at least next 2 years and even after that I intend to keep it with me for as long as possible. So the usage will be more like 60% city, 35% highway, 5% off road. Moreover I live close to work and walk most of the time. So it'll mostly be used over the weekend with the wife or alone. One of my biggest priorities of owning a vehicle is hassle free and low maintenance ownership; and so far I have mostly read decent things about Gypsies with these regards.

Currently I am also thinking of a new Gypsy King instead of going for a used one due to my lack of knowledge about Jeeps/4x4 and also the impression I have got from reading all the other Gypsy threads that find a decent used one is a daunting task.

In my heart I feel I should get one, modify it with AC, better suspension/tires and slight body alterations to suit my needs. But in my head when I calculate the time, cost and effort I can see that a can buy a decent sedan for that amount which should cover almost 95% of my usage without any issues.

Dilemma: So my question to all you Gypsy lovers is that am I overlooking something which would make the Gypsy absolutely unfit for my case. Please be the devils advocate for me, my heart is growing too powerful over my head. I would appreciate any inputs from you guys.

Disclaimer: I have no previous experience with any Jeeps/4x4 so please correct any of my presumptions about them. My experience with cars is limited to Mazda 3; BMW 3 series convertible(In US), WagonR, VW Vento (India)

Cheers!

P.S.: Moderators if this is not the correct sub-forum for this post please let me know.

[petrolhead_neel]

Hi Moody,

I am no expert but I have a little bit of experience in travelling on a Gypsy and extensively talking to and questioning people who drive the beast on a daily basis. These are the points which you should keep in mind.

• The Gypsy will never be able to behave like a normal car, no matter how much time and money you spend into modifying it.
  
• I don't know which recent developments you are talking about, but the Gypsy hasn't seen any updates in a long while.
  
• You are used to feature-rich, tank-like built, plush German sedans. You are surely going to miss the creature comforts when you drive the Gypsy. And trust me, it will take you a lot of will power to get over the Gypsy's bare bone nature after the initial excitement dies.
  
• Regarding reliability, you absolutely don't have to worry. Probably nothing can possibly go wrong in a Gypsy. No wonder its been serving the Indian army for decades now.
  
• Most of your usage will be in the city and unless you don't go for power steering modification, you have to tire your heart out to drive the beast on a daily basis in traffic.
  
• All of the above points considered, I still think that the Gypsy, with some modifications, is still the poor Indian vagabond's best friend. And when you want a Gypsy, you just want a Gypsy.

I think the best option for you is to drive a Gypsy on as well as off the road yourself and decide after that. This will be a bit tough though, because there isn't any TD Gypsy available in most(or all) dealerships.

The forum has wealth of information regarding the Gypsy and its mods, penned down by experts. Do search for it.

Best of luck and happy shopping!

Regards,
petrolhead_neel

[nik0502]

Hi Moody,

I Own a 2000 Model MPFI Gypsy king which I had bought some 3.5 years ago. In these 3.5 years I have not driven it for more than 4000 KMs which includes one Out of station trip. The drive on highway was just pathetic without AC and all the creature comfort. A Gypsy can never match the comfort level of a Sedan or a Hatch for that matter. And when its going to be your only car I would never advice you to go for one. There are better cars in market for your needs. Just to add the last I drove my Gypsy was sometime in October 2012.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Moody

I am a big fan of the Maruti Gypsy

I know exactly how you feel I have been an avid fan of SWB 4x4's and having owned a Jeep for 8 years in my "earlier" days, the itch to own a Gypsy started mid of last year. After deliberating over and over, going to the dealership to check out a new Gypsy, and finally ditching the idea of buying a brand new one given the atrocious on-road price, I finally picked up a used one for a sweet price.

Some tips from my end:

• Given your auto-history, it is VERY unlikely that you will use a Gypsy as your daily drive given the lack of creature comforts.
• Though there are folks who put in A/C and power steering, it might compromise the reliability. Plus, I believe in keeping my vehicles stock!
• If you are looking for a fun vehicle to drive up to the Himalayas with wife / family, there are much better options in the market. Some that come to mind are Thar, Duster, Safari, etc.
• If you do wish to own a SWB 4x4 and use it as a daily drive, a good bet is the Thar. Although, I am not a big fan of the Thar, it ticks most boxes when it comes to the best of both worlds!
• If you still want to own a Gypsy, given your intended usage, it makes no sense to go for a brand new one. Go for a used one - you will need to be patient to find a good one. It took me almost 6 months to get hold of mine. At least you will not have to bear the guilt of having spent close to 7.5 lac on a bare-bone vehicle.

Hope I have not confused you further

[Moody]

Thanks cool_dube, nik0502, petrolhead_neel

Really appreciate all your advice. I think the biggest point which hit me was

"You are used to feature-rich, tank-like built, plush German sedans. You are surely going to miss the creature comforts when you drive the Gypsy. And trust me, it will take you a lot of will power to get over the Gypsy's bare bone nature after the initial excitement dies. - petrolhead_neel"

I have looked into Thar as an option but for some reason it does not appeal me that much. I even dream of the day we would have awd hatchback like Subaru WRX available in India, that would be a great option. But alas.

For now your points have put a dampner on my plans. Will have to see how long that works. Thanks once again.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Moody

For now your points have put a dampner on my plans. Will have to see how long that works. Thanks once again.

Moody - I had absolutely no intention to discourage or de-moralize you. I believe in one-life-live-it mantra and if you do too, just go for it A good middle-path is to get hold of a pre-owned Gypsy and drive it around for some time. This way, even if you decide to sell it off (after the initial excitement wears off, as someone said), you will not lose much since a Gypsy always commands good resale. If you end up liking it and willing to spend on a new one, you will still be able to do so but after having tested the waters.

Hope this helps...

[jay3sh]

Originally Posted by drbones

Clocked 28000kms as of date , will update all my drives and memorable events with this fantastic 4x4 vehicle one after the other .

Hey drbones, happened to read through your posts in this thread. I am curious if you still own this gypsy? If yes, how is it doing? Rarely do people buy gypsy as their primary vehicle!

- JB

[Captain Haddock]

Originally Posted by Moody

Hey Guys,

Background: So my ride will not be doing any hardcore off-roading challenges. With that said I do like to travel to remote (sometimes inaccessible) areas like himalayan foothills and would like to do a road trip to Leh/Laddakh sometime. It will be my primary vehicle for at least next 2 years and even after that I intend to keep it with me for as long as possible. So the usage will be more like 60% city, 35% highway, 5% off road. Moreover I live close to work and walk most of the time. So it'll mostly be used over the weekend with the wife or alone. One of my biggest priorities of owning a vehicle is hassle free and low maintenance ownership; and so far I have mostly read decent things about Gypsies with these regards.

Currently I am also thinking of a new Gypsy King instead of going for a used one due to my lack of knowledge about Jeeps/4x4 and also the impression I have got from reading all the other Gypsy threads that find a decent used one is a daunting task.

In my heart I feel I should get one, modify it with AC, better suspension/tires and slight body alterations to suit my needs. But in my head when I calculate the time, cost and effort I can see that a can buy a decent sedan for that amount which should cover almost 95% of my usage without any issues.

Dilemma: So my question to all you Gypsy lovers is that am I overlooking something which would make the Gypsy absolutely unfit for my case. Please be the devils advocate for me, my heart is growing too powerful over my head. I would appreciate any inputs from you guys.

Disclaimer: I have no previous experience with any Jeeps/4x4 so please correct any of my presumptions about them. My experience with cars is limited to Mazda 3; BMW 3 series convertible(In US), WagonR, VW Vento (India)

Cheers!

Buying a gypsy is difficult because it is available only against order. It can be discontinued because the civilian demand is almost nill.

I have driven the gypsy in city traffic and here's my take on it's performance on road.

Really harsh ride in the backside, but at the front it's not that bad. If you travel alone or with one passenger only, it's ok.

Handling is ok at lower speeds but never drive a Gypsy around corners at high speeds as they can roll over. In the city it's good enough though, speeds are on the lower side.

Lack of power steering is not a deal breaker because the steering gets lighter when the wheels start to move. But at high speeds the steering is not accurate and quick decisive moves will be difficult because of this.

Engine refinement is pretty decent. Almost on par with most modern sedans. No annoying vibrations on the gear liver during idle. Gypsy should be driven like ordinary petrol cars, it does not have the torque of Jeeps. I once drove an old Mahindra Major exclusively in third gear(top) in rush hour traffic, such heroics cannot be expected from petrol engines.

Fuel average is poor and can range between 5-12 KM/litre depending on traffic.

Extremely large turning radius. Impossible to take U turns without reversing.

Difficult to pull out from parallel parking because despite locking the wheel to right twice the gypsy cannot clear the car ahead in most urban situations, so we will be forced to lock the steering wheel to the left twice and then back up slightly before going right again.

Dependability-It's the car's middle name. No breakdowns, no hefty bills for electronic component replacements. This car has nothing to go wrong.

Other choices- Mahindra thar DI with power steering can really be an alternative because of the diesel motor offering higher average and huge torque available right from the word go.

Is the gypsy an option-It can be a life style vehicle if the poor averages and turning radius can be tolerated.